Story & Theology behind the song – Be Still, My Soul (Advent)

Related texts: Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 9:2-7; Matthew 25:21

This old hymn “Be Still, My Soul” has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Several years ago I was able to sing it with a friend a cappella and the phrasing/melody of the song is truly soothing and peaceful. Filled with beautiful reminders that “the Lord is on [our] side” and chock-full of scripture references, I’ve rarely found myself so willing to sing a song in any given moment. This song revisits my mind without invitation often, so it was only a matter of time before I adapted it for my own version.

The history of this song is fascinating. Kathrina von Schlegel was a German woman who, as far as can be surmised, was essentially the protestant version of a nun. She had little influence and there isn’t much more to be known of her. However, sometime around the year 1750 she penned the lyrics to a song called “Stille, mein Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen”- the only one of her hymns that would be translated to English. Kathrina died sometime around 1797 (approximately 100 years old), but her song would be found and translated by another woman, Jane Borthwick. Jane was a songwriter as well as a translator, and she translated over a dozen hymns into English from other languages throughout her life. In 1855 she translated “Stille, mein Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen” into English, as we know it. “Be Still, My Soul; The Lord is on Thy Side” or more popularly known and shortened as “Be Still, My Soul”. Jane’s adaptation is considered a very accurate translation from Kathrina’s original work, and is her most well-known song to this day.

With over 100 years between the original writing in German and the English translation, it would still be another 72 years before an official melody would be given to the song. In 1899, Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer, wrote the melody “Finlandia” which would eventually become a hymn tune in the Scottish Church Hymnary in 1927 (which is likely the earliest it would have been paired with “Be Still My Soul” on a regular basis) and in the Presbyterian Hymnal in 1933. This explains the low amount of publishing of the hymn in hymnals until around this time, when it skyrocketed in popularity, especially noticeable in the mid-1960’s, over 200 years after the hymn’s lyrics were originally written.

The themes of the hymn- peace, assurance, and expectation specifically- remind me of the Advent season when we recall the birth of Jesus. I wrote a verse and a chorus to this song to fit with our modern norms of worship music and to help affirm the message of the song as well as tie it in more specifically with the Advent season. I also adapted the hard-to-find fifth verse of the hymn (while omitting verses three and four) to tie in with Advent as well. The verse I wrote:

Be still, my soul: the King comes as a babe
Born to a virgin, like the Prophet spoke
That we might sit, and that we might wait
The savior comes and with Him comes our Hope
Be still, my soul; God has come to us
He made a way because of His great love

And the verse I adapted:

Be still, my soul; sing the song of praise
On earth, believing, to the Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy works and ways,
So He should view you with a well-pleased eye
Be still, my soul; the Prince of Peace has come (changed from “the Son of life divine”)
Our waiting ends, the Advent of the Son (changed from “through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine”)

I wanted to write a simple chorus that would tie everything together and affirm the biblical truth of who God is and what He is capable of. The lyrics are:

My God is in control, In Him I will trust
My God is in control, He has come to us

We have a faithful Father who sent His perfect and obedient Son so that we can live according to the Spirit a life of discipleship and worship to the Triune God, and that is what this song is really all about.

Listen to “Be Still, My Soul (Advent)” on YouTube now!

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Kevin McClure has been leading worship in the local church for over 10 years in different capacities of student and adult ministries. As a songwriter, musical artist, and worship leader he has had the honor of touring the United States both as a performer and worship leader over the better part of the last decade. With a heart to see believers learn how to take the act of worship beyond the setting of a group gathering, Kevin is incredibly intentional with his time on and offstage to help teach the practice of worship as a lifestyle. Kevin lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his bride Hailey and his two daughters, Everleigh (9) and Eliska (3). His favorite food is coffee (lifesource), loves bonfires, and is convinced that Jesus is a Chicago Cubs fan.